


The Highs and the Lows

by Formula_Tea



Series: Little Steps [3]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Homophobia, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-24
Updated: 2015-04-24
Packaged: 2018-03-25 13:56:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3813061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Formula_Tea/pseuds/Formula_Tea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things are different with the Massas. Better. But some things don't change. (sequel of Dares and Truths)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Highs and the Lows

**Author's Note:**

> "Graphic" isn't really very graphic because I'm not all that good at descriptions and things but, yeah... there's some violence in this. There's another part after this so, yeah... it's not over.

“ _Harry, Ron and Hermione joined the Gryffindors streaming up the marble staircase and, very tired now, along more corridors, up more and more stairs, to the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. A large portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress asked them, ‘Password?’_

 _“’Coming through, coming through!’ Percy called from behind the crowd. ‘The new password’s_ Fortuna Major _!’_

_“’Oh no,’ sad Neville Longbottom sadly. He always had trouble remembering the passwords.”_

Felipe looked up at Rob, happily.

“He reminds me of you,” he said, closing the book.

“Who? Neville?” Rob asked, looking down to Felipe, who was lying with his head in Rob’s lap. Felipe nodded as best he could in his position. “That’s the one who got taken in the air by pixies in the last book, right? Thanks.”

“You have not watched the films?” Felipe asked, realising his compliment was not going to be taken as one.

“No,” Rob said. He’d never really seen what all the fuss was about. The books weren’t all that thrilling, but he’d sit and listen to Felipe read anything to him if it gave him an excuse to watch Felipe when he was concentrating.

“Ah,” Felipe said with a smile. “Will watch the films next weekend. You will see what I mean.”

“If you say so,” Rob murmured, running his hand through Felipe’s hair again.

“Rob?”

Both boys looked up to find Felipe’s little brother standing in their bedroom doorway. Felipe glared at him automatically, doing his best to sit up without injuring Rob.

“Yeah?”

“Could you help me with my maths homework?” Dudu asked. “Is percentages. The teacher does not explain it very well. You do it better.”

“Yeah, sure,” Rob said, shifting Felipe off of him so he could stand. “No reading ahead you.”

“I would not dare,” Felipe said, pulling Rob back down for a kiss before he let him go.

Life with the Massas was going… well. Things were different, but Rob already knew to expect that. It was a good different. It was being kicked under the table by Dudu when he was trying to get Felipe, and having to wash mash potato out of his hair one time because Felipe couldn’t aim for shit. It was waking up in the middle of the night to find Felipe had gotten into the bed at some point and was about to kick him out of it. It was Felipe’s mother fussing far too much over his hair before he left for school, and Felipe ruffling it up as they left just to annoy his mother. It was… home. Coming home at the end of a school day actually _felt_ like coming home now. Rob was happy. He didn’t think he’d ever been this happy.

Even school was going… better wasn’t the right word. Felipe’s mother had come in to speak to the head master like she had promised to, and the head master had agreed that Mr Omand had not acted correctly. The tutor was still in school, though, glaring at the pair of boys from across the classroom. Rob had just added him to his list of teachers he needed to avoid as much as possible.

Of course, there were the students. Students who didn’t listen to assemblies on homophobia which did nothing to point out the targets. Students who didn’t really care if they got a detention for homophobic language because they were going to get a detention for something, it might as well be this. Students who, when paired up with teachers who had already decided they didn’t like Rob, got away with whatever they wanted to anyway.

But he’d been ignoring them. With Felipe’s help…

_“Are not saying these things to you. Do not even know you. Are treating you badly because, if they do not, they will realise they are horrible. Are just jealous of you.”_

_“Of me. What do I have that they would be jealous of, hmmm?”_

_“Your beautiful eyes. And your cute boyfriend.”_

_“Cute,_ humble _boyfriend.”_

_“Hmmm, you are right. Am this too.”_

School was still school, though, and Rob hated it. But at least it was the only thing he hated now.

 

“I was thinking,” Dudu said at dinner one evening.

“Thought I could smell something burning,” Felipe said, getting a kick in the calf for his comment.

“Shut up,” Dudu snapped. “I was thinking about Rob.”

“Is mine,” Felipe said, dropping his knife and fork and wrapping his arm around his Rob beside him, resting his head against Rob’s shoulder. “You can get your own.”

“Not at the dinner table, Felipe,” Felipe’s father said, rolling his eyes. “Your food will go cold.”

“Was thinking you might be dyslexic,” Dudu said.

“Dis what?” Rob asked.

“Dyslexic,” Dudu said again. “Is like when the words all look jumbled up so you cannot read them. Because you are not stupid. Are better at teaching maths than my maths teacher. So think maybe you are this.”

“Is that a thing?” Felipe’s mother asked.

“Think so,” Dudu said.

“Do you think that might be it, Rob?” Felipe’s mother asked, turning to Rob.

Rob swallowed the food in his mouth, all eyes on him all of a sudden. He shrugged. He’d heard of dyslexia before but he didn’t really know what it _was_. He just knew it meant you got extra time in exams and he could _really_ do with that.

“Maybe,” he said, returning his attention to his dinner. He didn’t want Felipe’s parents to get their hopes up, only for him to disappoint him again. He was just stupid. There was nothing more to it than that.

“Is there a test?” Felipe’s father asked Dudu.

“Think there is someone you can talk to at school about it,” Dudu said. “Can find out.”

“Good,” Felipe’s mother said. “Well, I guess it is good to find out, yes?” She smiled at Rob, making him blush and drop his eyes down to his dinner. The Massas had found another way for him to disappoint them.

 

“I’m not dyslexic,” Rob told Felipe the next day at lunch. He’d been going over it most of the night. He didn’t even want to get tested, he’d decided. They’d only tell him what he already knew, and Felipe’s parents had been so happy that they thought they’d found a way to help him. He didn’t want to disappoint them when they were told nope, he was just stupid.

“Do not know that,” Felipe said, pushing himself up onto the sink. They were eating in the bathroom at the top of the three story block. It wasn’t the most pleasant dining experience, but it kept them both out of harm’s way, as nobody could be bothered to venture this deep into the languages department without need. “Have not even done the test.”

“I know what they’re going to say,” Rob said. He peered out of the frosted glass, watching blurred shapes move on the playground far beneath them. “It’s no use, Felipe.”

“Well, it does not matter to me what you are,” Felipe said, reaching for Rob and pulling him closer when the taller boy took his hand. “Love you anyway.”

He pulled Rob down to him, fists bunching the fabric of his shirt, but Rob stopped when they’re faces were only inches apart, grinning.

“Is this us then?” he asked, the gleam in his eyes back. “Kissing in a grotty boy’s toilet?”

“Uh huh,” Felipe said, grinning back. He moved forward to steal the kiss from Rob, but the other boy had already moved away. Felipe sighed, impatiently, picking at the crusts of his sandwiches.

“It doesn’t matter if I even _am_ dyslexic,” Rob muttered, leaning against one of the stalls. “There’s no cure. I’m still not going to pass any of my exams.”

“Will,” Felipe said, pushing himself off of the sink. “Are going to get an A star in your maths, already know this. And understand science better than most of the teachers. Who cares if you cannot write or read so well? Will not need that when you are a big fancy race engineer, will you?”

“What?”

Rob would have stepped back, if he didn’t already have his back to the toilet stall. Felipe grinned, standing up on his toes and using Rob for support.

“Have heard you,” Felipe said. “Talk in your sleep sometimes.”

“That doesn’t mean…”

“Know you want to do it, Rob,” Felipe said, quietly, looking up at him with enormous brown eyes. “Can do it. Check to see if you are dyslexic. Will get you support, won’t they? Will help you pass your exams. And then you can do whatever you want.”

He grinned, pushing himself up to kiss Rob again, being careful not to head butt him this time.

 

Things never really went well for long for Rob. That was one thing he’d learnt in his fourteen years of existence. And this time was no different.

 

“We are not kissing behind the bike sheds, Felipe,” Rob insisted, but Felipe noticed how he wasn’t really putting up that much of a fight as he pulled his boyfriend towards the bike sheds.

The school was deserted. Felipe had been given a half hour detention by Wilson for talking during silent reading (the only reason Rob hadn’t been given the same was because Wilson didn’t like the two of them being together alone for long durations of time), so there was nobody about. They could have done whatever they wanted in the middle of the playground if they really wanted to, but no, Felipe wanted the bike shed.

“Will be cute,” Felipe said.

“It won’t be cute,” Rob said. “It’ll be dirty and chavy.”

“It will be with me,” Felipe said, beaming. “So will be cute.”

“Think a lot of yourself, don’t you?” Rob said, but there was a smile on his face, and it only made Felipe smile even more, proud of his achievement.

“And anyway,” Felipe said. “You need to practice.”

“Sounds like a challenge,” Rob said, letting himself be pulled round the back of the bike shed. Felipe pushed him back against the fence that separated the school from the houses in the estate that surrounded it, holding onto Rob’s shoulders to steady himself. Rob was looking down at him and the smile on his face was genuine.

“Oi!”

Rob pushed Felipe away in a panic, turning to the new comers, but the panic soon turned to confusion. Four boys had joined them in the intimate hiding space, bandanas and scarves covering their faces as if they were trying out for roles as gang members. Felipe automatically stepped ahead of Rob, even if he was the smaller of the pair, when one of them stepped forward.

“Don’t let us stop you,” the leading boy said, and Felipe recognised his voice, but he didn’t pay enough attention to the kids in his year to be able to name him. “Go on then. Kiss him.”

“Leave us alone,” Felipe said, his voice a lot smaller than he wanted it to be.

“Kiss him,” the same boy said, and Felipe noticed he was looking over his shoulder, speaking to Rob.

Felipe didn’t need to look back at Rob to know how the Brit would be reacting. Ignoring the part of his brain that was telling him he was being stupid, he marched up to the disguised boy.

“ _You_ cannot come here and tell us what to do,” Felipe said, jabbing a finger into the other boy’s chest. “Go home and wank over some model’s fake tits.”

Without missing a beat, the other boy pushed Felipe back into the fence he had had Rob against moments ago, prompting Rob to jump forward.

“Get off of him.”

“Kiss him.”

Rob bit his lip, trying to decide what the best course of action was. Two of the other boys had already moved behind him, and the way back out onto the playground was almost clear. They didn’t have to stand and play their games.

“Come on, Felipe.” Rob took hold of Felipe’s hand and pulled him away from the fence, only for the bully to slam him back against the metel.

“He stays until you kiss him, faggot.”

“Are not here for your entertainment,” Felipe snapped, trying, and failing, to push the other boy away.

Rob looked between Felipe and the bully. _Ignore them. Ignore them and they’ll go away._ When had that worked? When had that ever worked?

“Fine,” Rob snapped and he didn’t want to give in. He didn’t want to give them what they wanted, but he didn’t have a choice.

“Do it properly,” the bully said. “Like what got you kicked out of the stay awake.”

Rob rolled his eyes, brushing the bully aside so he was stood over Felipe.

His eyes had completely changed, Felipe noticed. Glazed over and dead. Rob was just staring at him, and Felipe wasn’t sure if he was trying to build up the courage or come up with a way out of the situation.

“Come here,” he muttered, pulling Rob down so he could kiss him. Doing as he was told for once couldn’t do him much harm, could it?

Felipe’s heart stopped for half a second when Rob didn’t react. He was sure they weren’t going to be happy with that. But then a hand came up to cup his cheek and Rob kissed him back. There was no squeak of surprise this time. Only silence and the quiet sniggers from the gang.

Then a thwack.

Felipe pushed himself back against the fence, not immediately sure what had happened. Rob had gone and he was pretty sure he could taste blood, but he wasn’t in pain. One of the boys was shaking his hand, his friend patting him on the back, and it was only then Felipe noticed Rob on the floor, the first boy sat on top of him.

“Get off him!”

There was already blood on Rob’s face when the first boy smashed his head against the concrete.

“Get off of him!”

Felipe’s legs finally caught up with his brain but, as soon as he made to move the bully off of Rob, he was slammed back into the fence again, a knife stuck under his nose.

“Move, scream for help, do _anything_ , and we’ll slice his stomach open.”

“Cannot do this,” Felipe snapped, struggling against the boy holding him to the fence. “Are going to kill him. Get _off_ of me.”

“Fine.”

Someone was still holding him back from the fight – if it could be called that when Felipe hadn’t actually seen Rob move yet – but the boy with the knife went over to join them, moving his friend aside.

“No wait!” Felipe stilled, falling back against the fence and watching with tear filled eyes as the first boy aimed another kick at Rob’s head. “Please. Please just… just…”

“Are you going to do as we say?” the boy with the knife asked. He was stood over Rob. Rob who was far too still for Felipe’s liking. There was blood pooling on the floor, creeping under the boys’ trainers. Felipe nodded quickly, not taking his eyes from Rob, trying to see from his place at the fence if he was still breathing.

 

“Hey!”

Felipe wasn’t sure how long he had been stood at the fence, staring and sobbing, when a new voice cut through their laughter. One of the cleaning ladies was running towards the group of them and Felipe had to choke back a cry when the gang finally stopped. They were gone by the time the cleaner reached them, calling back slurs as they left.

“Rob?”

Rob wasn’t moving. Felipe didn’t think he’d seen his boyfriend move of his own accord since he’d hit the floor and, unable to see his face, Felipe didn’t know if he was even awake.

“Rob?”

As soon as the cleaner turned to face him, he fell to the floor, tucking his knees to his chest and hiding his face against them. This hadn’t happened. It couldn’t have happened. This was all just some awful nightmare and he’d wake up and climb into bed with Rob and steal all the quilt and this was not happening.

Felipe jumped at the hand on his shoulder, looking up to find the cleaner crouching beside him, a mobile phone pressed to her ear.

“Are you alright?” she whispered.

Felipe nodded, chewing on his lip to stop himself from sobbing again.

“Yes, I’m still here,” the cleaner said into the phone. “Alright…” She looked between Rob and Felipe again. “Right, I’m going to go and wait for the ambulance at reception, alright? You wait here with him. And phone his parents? Yeah?”

Felipe nodded again standing as the cleaner did. She left the way she had come in, running back to reception, and Felipe was left with Rob.

There was blood on his shirt, Felipe noticed as he came round to Rob’s other side. The Brazilian’s legs were shaking again but he refused to collapse. Not now. Not whilst Rob needed him. There was blood on his shirt and that was never going to come out, and his hair covered his eyes. He was breathing though, that was important.

“Hello?”

The phone was against his ear, but Felipe couldn’t remember taking it out.

“Felipe? Are you there?”

“Mum?”

“Felipe? What’s wrong? Are you ok?”

“It’s… it’s Rob.”


End file.
